Asian pied starling has a yellowish bill with a bright orange-red base. Asian pied starling is strikingly marked in black and white, with long legs. The flight is slow and butterfly-like on round wings. The plumage is a contrasting black and white, with the upper parts throat and chest being black and the cheeks, lores, wing coverts and rump being white. Both sexes are similar in plumage but young ones have dark brown in place of black. The flight is slow and butterfly-like on round wings. They feed on insects, worms, spiders, earthworms, various grains, various fruits and molluscs usually taken from the ground…………

The breeding season in India is spread from March to September. Nest is different from that of the other mynas, being a large untidy globular structure of twigs, leaves, grass and rubbish, placed on a large tree or in urban areas, on man-made structures. It is loosely constructed out of straw into the the shape of a dome with an entrance on the side. Eggs 4-6, glossy blue, without markings, which are laid one every other day. The incubation usually starts after the third or fourth egg has been laid. The young hatch about 14 to 15 days later. Both sexes share in building and care of the young……………….

Distinctive Identification

Size between 20 cm. to 25 cm. and weigh between 75 to 100 g. Asian pied starling has a yellowish bill with a bright orange-red base. Asian pied starling is strikingly marked in black and white, with long legs.

Skin around the eyes is orange-reddish. The upper body, throat and breast are black while the cheek, lores, wing coverts and rump are light grayish-white.

The plumage is a contrasting black and white, with the upper parts, throat and chest being black and the cheeks, lores, wing coverts and rump being white. Both sexes are similar in plumage but young ones have dark brown in place of black.

The species is found mainly in the plains but in the foothills up to about 700 meter above sea level.

Asian pied starling is a bird of north central, central and eastern India, south and east of a line roughly from East Punjab, through East Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh to the Krishna delta.

Habit and habitat

Asian pied starling, usually found in small groups mainly on the plains and low foothills. They have also adapted well to urban living and are often seen in cities and villages, and are generally seen in small groups

The flight is slow and butterfly-like on round wings. They feed on insects, worms, spiders, earthworms, various grains, various fruits and molluscs usually taken from the ground.

The breeding season in India is spread from March to September. Nest is different from that of the other mynas, being a large untidy globular structure of twigs, leaves, grass and rubbish, placed on a large tree or in urban areas, on man-made structures. It is loosely constructed out of straw into the shape of a dome with an entrance on the side.

Eggs 4-6, glossy blue, without markings, which are laid one every other day. The incubation usually starts after the third or fourth egg has been laid. The young hatch about 14 to 15 days later. Both sexes share in building and care of the young.